Weah’s goal gains US bumpy 1-1 draw at Jamaica in qualifier
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Damion Lowe leapt above Walker Zimmerman at the top of the 6-yard box in the 84th minute and headed Leon Bailey’s corner kick to the left of U.S. goalkeeper Zack Steffen.
Back at The Office for the first time in 25 months, yellow-clad Reggae Boyz fans erupted at the apparent go-ahead goal.
But wait!
Costa Rican referee Juan Gabriel Calderón whistled Lowe for a relatively slight push into Zimmerman’s shoulder, a call frequently not made against a CONCACAF home team.
“He blew the whistle early, and that was a relief,” U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said.
The Americans started the second half of World Cup qualifying with a bumpy 1-1 draw against Jamaica on Tuesday night. Tim Weah’s 11th-minute goal on an angled 6-yard shot off his weaker left foot was offset by Michail Antonio’s spectacular 34-yard strike in the 22nd.
“We’re still in a good position,” U.S. captain Tyler Adams said. “It’s going to be super-important we continue to win our home games, get points on the road when we can.”
The U.S. dropped into second place with 15 points going into its final six qualifiers — three home games plus road matches at Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica.
Canada moved into first with 16 points thanks to a 2-1 win over Mexico in Edmonton, Alberta. Mexico and Panama have 14 points each, followed by Costa Rica (nine), Jamaica (seven), El Salvador (six) and Honduras (three). The top three nations qualify from North and Central America and the Caribbean, and the fourth goes to a playoff.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Georgia, Alabama, Oregon and Ohio State held their places in the College Football Playoff ranking, with Cincinnati still sitting at fifth.
There was no movement in the selection committee’s top seven after all those teams won last week. Michigan was still No. 6 and Michigan State seventh, heading into the Spartans’ big game Saturday at Ohio State.
Notre Dame moved up a spot to eighth. Oklahoma State (9-1) is now the highest-ranked Big 12 team at ninth after Oklahoma was handed its first loss last week.
Wake Forest (9-1) is No. 10, the highest-ranked team from the Atlantic Coast Conference with three rankings left until selection Sunday.
In the seven-year history of the College Football Playoff, no team has come from farther back than ninth to reach the final four with two rankings remaining before selection Sunday. Michigan State did that in 2015, propelled by a victory at Ohio State.
Oklahoma was the one top-10 team to lose this past weekend and the Sooners fell to 13th.
MLB
TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays have reached an agreement with pitcher Jose Berríos on a seven-year, $131 million deal, pending a physical, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
The Blue Jays acquired the 27-yearold right-hander at the July trade deadline from the Minnesota Twins. The two-time All-Star was due to become a free agent after the 2022 season.
Berríos went 5-4 with a 3.58 ERA in 12 starts with Toronto down the stretch. He finished 12-9 last season with a 3.52 ERA overall. Berríos, who is from Puerto Rico, was taken 32nd overall by the Twins in the 2012 amateur draft and has been a durable and reliable starter.
The contract will become only the third $100 million-plus deal in Blue Jays history. Toronto signed outfielder George Springer to a $150 million, six-year contract last offseason. Vernon Wells and the Blue Jays agreed to a $126 million, seven-year contract in 2006. At the time, it was sixth-largest deal in baseball history.
NHL
TORONTO — Dion Phaneuf, a former Calgary Flames star defenseman and Toronto Maple Leafs captain, announced his retirement after 14 NHL seasons.
Phaneuf, 36, hadn’t played since appearing in 67 games with the Los Angeles Kings in the 2018-19 season.
The Edmonton native was selected ninth overall by Calgary in the 2003 draft and finished third in rookie of the year voting after putting up 20 goals and 29 assists in 82 games. He was named an NHL All-Star in 200708, when he had a career-high 60 points (17 goals, 43 assists) and had a plus-12 defensive rating.
The three-time All Star had 494 points (137 goals, 357 assists) in 1,048 regular-season games with Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Los Angeles.
NFL
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens waived running back Le’Veon Bell.
Bell was one of three veterans the Ravens picked up after losing running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards to preseason injuries.
Baltimore also brought in Latavius Murray and Devonta Freeman, and Bell had the fewest carries of the three even though Murray has missed the past three games with an ankle injury.
The 29-year-old Bell rushed for 83 yards on 31 carries for the Ravens. He did run for two touchdowns.
“This hurt, but it’s been a blessing to be here to say the least,” Bell said on Twitter. “I’ve enjoyed every second of this short period.”
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers opened its sixth stock offering in franchise history
and sold $10 million worth of stock in the first three hours, the team said.
The NFL’s only community-owned club last offered stock 10 years ago. There are 300,000 shares available at $300 each, which the team promotes not as an investment in the common usage of the term, but rather as “pride of ownership.”
The team has no obligation to repay the amount a buyer pays to purchase Packers stock. The Packers say anyone considering whether to buy stock in the team shouldn’t make the purchase in the interest of making a profit or receiving a dividend or tax deduction.
The team sold 33,000 shares in the first three hours, WLUK-TV reported. The money will go to fund upgrades at Lambeau Field, including new video boards.